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PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Marlins relief pitcher and former Pirate Bryan Morris joined “The Fan Morning Show” on Thursday to talk about playing his first series at PNC Park since being traded to Miami on June 1.

Morris has posted a 3-0 record and a 0.29 ERA in 28 appearances with the Marlins, and said that his control has been a major reason for his success.

“It’s been location of my pitches – that’s been the biggest key,” Morris said. “My walks are down over here compared to earlier in the year. And when they’ve been putting it in play, they’ve been hitting it right at people. So, it’s been the best of both worlds.”

He told the guys that it was difficult to leave given his long-standing relationships with a lot of guys in the Pirates’ clubhouse.

“Those friendships – leaving those behind and turning them into more long-distance friendships was tough,” Morris said. “Saying that, you know, the new opportunity was big for me, and I think everything has worked out for the best.”

Morris admitted that it did feel somewhat like the Pirates had given up on him when they traded him.

“To an certain extent, yeah,” Morris said. “Because I was going through a rough patch. I was struggling. So, I’m not going to say that it didn’t cross my mind. But, I tried to quickly let that go.”

As for the Diamondbacks’ recent retaliation against the Pirates after Ernesto Frieri hit Paul Goldschmidt on the hands with a pitch and injured him, Morris took issue with the way that Randall Delgado went about plunking Andrew McCutchen.

“When it comes to situations like retaliation. I’ve been in that situation where I’ve had to do it,” Morris said. “I’m definitely not a fan of trying it more than once. I saw the first pitch. It looked like the intent was there, and then, to me, it was disrespectful to the game when you bait a guy like that throwing a 1-0 slider and then coming back with the fastball in. I definitely disagree with going after a hitter more than once in a game or an at-bat. if you miss, tough luck. You missed your opportunity.”